Topline
Trump’s campaign has raised about $2 million a day since he became the first former president in U.S. history to be indicted on Thursday—the latest sign that his GOP base is unshaken by the looming criminal charges.
Former US President Donald Trump boards his plane at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm … [+]
Key Facts
Trump’s campaign has raised $7 million in the three days since he was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday in connection with hush-money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election, his senior advisor Jason Miller tweeted Monday.
Trump and his allies, including GOP Conference Chair Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.), made fundraising pleas via email, Twitter and media appearances in the hours after news of the indictment broke on Thursday.
The fundraising haul is the latest sign that the looming criminal charges against Trump have had little effect on his base of supporters: an ABC/Ipsos poll released Sunday shows nearly 90% of Republican-leaning voters do not believe he should have been indicted, as his approval rating continues to climb.
Big Number
$1.15 million. That’s how much a super PAC backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised, per day, a total of $30 million, since former Trump Department of Homeland Security official Ken Cuccinelli launched the Never Back Down PAC on March 9, multiple outlets reported Monday.
Key Background
Trump landed at New York’s LaGuardia airport on Monday afternoon ahead of his arraignment in Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday, where he will reportedly face more than 30 counts related to business fraud, including at least one felony. He is expected to be arraigned Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. and head back to Mar-A-Lago, where he will deliver a speech later that night.
Tangent
In the first set of polls taken after a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump on Thursday, the plurality of respondents said they agreed with the decision to bring charges against him—but an even larger share believe politics were at play, consistent with Trump’s narrative that the investigation is politically motivated. Nearly 90% of GOP-leaning respondents in the ABC News/Ipsos poll released Sunday said Trump should not have been indicted, compared with 45% of respondents overall who said he should face charges. A CNN/SSRS poll released Monday also found that 60% of respondents agreed with the decision to indict him, but 76% said they believed politics played a role in the investigation. Meanwhile, his overall approval rating continues to climb: CNN/SSRS found he has gained two points, to 34%, since the groups’ previous poll in January.
Further Reading
Trump And Allies Respond To Indictment With Fundraising Pleas (Forbes)
Trump Indictment: Majority Of Americans Agree With Charges—And Also Say Politics Played A Role (Forbes)
Trump’s Support Is Growing Among GOP Voters—Even As Possible Indictment Looms (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/03/trump-campaign-has-raised-7-million-since-indictment-his-advisor-says/